Opting out of google search history of your personal search

[nooby]

Sorry poor grammar.

Google has a history of your searches.
After much criticism they have allowed
for you to opt out of it by clicking on a link.

When you do google search then the icon in upper right corner
looking like a CogWheel click on it and look for the drop down
list where it mention you can stop the result based on your personal
history of earlier searches.

Suppose I love Trikes of the HPV sort. Human Powered Vehicles (HPV)
not to be mistaken with Petrol or Gas Diesel powered such Bikes.

Then google knows which such Trikes that I looked at last time
I made a search.

So if I opt out then they will treat the weighted result differently
now when I tell them to ignore previous personal history of such searches.

Aint that cool or what to say

Why there is no link? Google is regional in that living in Sweden the
link goes to the Swedish version. So depending on where you live
each such link would differ. Take a look

Swedish text is "Inaktivera anpassade resultat baserade på sökaktivitet."

Google translate this to.

Turn off personalized results based on search activity.

That is a rather good translatio. Better than my poor grasp of English

[Bruce B]

Google links below

http://74.125.239.20/
http://74.125.239.16/
http://74.125.239.19/
http://74.125.239.17/
http://74.125.239.18/

These are the IP addresses for the Google I get in SoCal. Curious is they take you to the same or similiar pages I get.

~

[Bruce B]

Using the link below should enable you to search and even browse anonymously.

https://startpage.com/

Then set your language preferences

~

[Bruce B]

Google has a history of your searches.
After much criticism they have allowed for you to opt out of it by clicking on a link.

When you do google search then the icon in upper right corner looking like a CogWheel click on it and look for the drop down list where it mention you can stop the result based on your personal history of earlier searches.

In the part I highlighted in blue, it does NOT say that Google doesn't keep the data of your previous searches. It more or less says it won't use it for displaying suggestions or page results.

The searches as well as your preferences are stored in cookies.

If you use Firefox, you can set site specific cookie blocks. Right click on blank spot in page, select View Page Info, then make your settings to not use cookies.

I approach it differently by using a technique I discovered about 1995 with Netscape. Here is how: I set the cookies file to read only or make a directory with same name. I set browser to accept cookies and it does, but it can't write them to disk.

Firefox behaves like Netscape did way back when. It writes cookies to a text file AND stores them in memory.

The cookies exist on a session by session basis. Sites which require cookies in order to function - will.

When you close your browser, the cookies in memory cache disappear and none were ever written to the cookie file.

~

[Barkin]

some web proxies have been broken ... https://anonymous-proxy-servers.net/en/help/otherServices.html

[Bruce B]

some web proxies have been broken ... https://anonymous-proxy-servers.net/en/help/otherServices.html

One can test the anonymity of a proxy server by visiting a test site such as http://browserspy.dk with the proxy.

But this may not be a good referral any longer. I just discovered that when I want to check the IP address with direct connection, it displays the page for a second or less. Then redirects the browser to Oracle in a scam that I need to install Java. Why would I do that? So Oracle can sue me or accuse me of something. (just joking but not really)

In all candor, I don't install Java and I don't like or trust the very litigious Oracle corp.

And I don't like having Java software shoved in my face either by some cheesy scheme.

So, anyone know of a better or different test site than browserspy.dk ?

TIA

~

[nooby]

Google has a history of your searches.
After much criticism they have allowed for you to opt out of it by clicking on a link.

When you do google search then the icon in upper right corner looking like a CogWheel click on it and look for the drop down list where it mention you can stop the result based on your personal history of earlier searches.

In the part I highlighted in blue, it does NOT say that Google doesn't keep the data of your previous searches. It more or less says it won't use it for displaying suggestions or page results.

The searches as well as your preferences are stored in cookies.

If you use Firefox, you can set site specific cookie blocks. Right click on blank spot in page, select View Page Info, then make your settings to not use cookies.

I approach it differently by using a technique I discovered about 1995 with Netscape. Here is how: I set the cookies file to read only or make a directory with same name. I set browser to accept cookies and it does, but it can't write them to disk.

Firefox behaves like Netscape did way back when. It writes cookies to a text file AND stores them in memory.

The cookies exist on a session by session basis. Sites which require cookies in order to function - will.

When you close your browser, the cookies in memory cache disappear and none were ever written to the cookie file.

~

Thanks. But being as bad at reading text as I am.
Would not Google save this info on their servers
regardless of the Firefox or whatever fail to save it
to next session? Are google totally dependent on
that latest cookie? I trust I am always confused.
But I agree with you that it is a way to accept cookies
and still protect them being kept to next session. That is good indeed.
But why would they not have a copy on their server that does not
get deleted?

[Bruce B]

Thanks. But being as bad at reading text as I am.
Would not Google save this info on their servers.

I think Google saves about everything. On this premise, if 'this info' means your searches, the IP address saved is theirs, not yours.

Are google totally dependent on that latest cookie?

My impression is Google provides the service just fine with cookies turned off at www.google.com and www.youtube.com (except for login information, probably)

I looked up UUID on cookies and didn't learn anything that caused me to think your Google cookies use a unique id.

I also found an EFF article that explains how your computer is unique and can thus be identified among others.

(to make it difficult for sites identifying you uniquely, turning off javascript should do most of the trick)

Here is a link to the article, I think any of us will find it an interesting read.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/01/p ... nd-privacy

[nooby]

Thanks for that link and I find EFF to be good at getting how it works.

I trust my browser is rather unique so I trust them know when I am active
regardless of what I do.

Test this.

Delete all cookies and then in firefox upper right corner
write just the letter t as in tango.

if you have allowed them to give advices then it comes up for
my swedish version the same suggestion each time.

target
twitter
translate
ticketmaster
thesaurus
tumblr
travelocity

that could either mean they give that answer to everybody
based on some algoritm that is universal or they know
that I use translate rather often. Why they have target and twitter
that I never use can support it is something that everybody get first.

if I just write the letter d then they show
dictionary as first choice and I use dictionary each day.

Or maybe everybody get that one first? Could be me overdo this things too

[Barkin]

Test this.

Delete all cookies and then in firefox upper right corner
write just the letter t as in tango.

Google suggestions for "t" are same for me (in UK), see attachment ...

[Keef]

Trying the same thing with Opera, using the Google search box, gives the same result for 't': target, twitter, translate.
...and 'd' gives: dictionary, delta, dominoes.

[Barkin]

I found this free web proxy ... http://searchprivate.com/

I wouldn't trust it with login passwords or bank details, (e.g. not encrypted), but it may be OK for an anonymous Google search ... http://searchprivate.com/browse.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&b=24&f=norefer


Clear your cookies before using this proxy otherwise Google can still tell it's you and will filter your search results accordingly [see filter bubble]

[nooby]

Thanks guys, that is evidence for me being too para something
So that where a relief. It is a general result that all of us get
and not exclusive based on my personal habit to translate words
or to look up in dictionary.

[John Lewis]

What about Do Not Track Plus in Firefox?

It claims to prevent tracking.

John

[bark_bark_bark]

What about Do Not Track Plus in Firefox?

It claims to prevent tracking.

John

It does, I use it all the time. Most of the blocked stuff are: Google analytics, Facebook (I deleted mine), Google Adsense, etc.

[Barkin]

Avoiding tracking and anonymizing your Google searches are two different things : a record of some of the websites you have visited can be tracked without reaching them via a search engine (like google).

I've been using Googlesharing recently to get me out of the google filter bubble, it's a proxy but only for your Google searches ... http://www.googlesharing.net/

When you do a google search with the same search terms, with and without the Googlesharing proxy activated,
you can see the search results you're missing out on when google knows who you are.

[Barkin]

oops double post, sorry.

[Aitch]

https://qrobe.it/


http://www.erratasec.com/ferret.html

Aitch

[tallboy]

Google has a history of your searches.

I am not familiar with Google internals at all, but is that also true if you write just parts of an address when you browse, skipping the 'http://www.' part?

Will that activate Google, and therefore store the address that you browse?

tallboy

[Barkin]

I am not familiar with Google internals at all, but is that also true if you write just parts of an address when you browse, skipping the 'http://www.' part?

Will that activate Google, and therefore store the address that you browse?

Some browsers use Google's "safe browsing" by default* which will check the URL you've typed into the browser's address box is not a spoof malware site ...

http://searchengineland.com/googles-safe-browsing-diagnostic-tool-14064

This offers some protection from phishing, but can result in Google being informed of the websites you visit, even though you are not using google search engine to get there, (and the website you are going to doesn't have any google trackers).

[ * can be switched off in Firefox browser ]